Young children who are in the teething stage of development, often need the use of teething biscuits, and semi-hard objects to help the development of healthy teeth and gums. In addition, young children often require use of objects to satisfy a natural desire to suckle or otherwise provide oral fixation. However, it has heretofore been difficult for an attending parent or other responsible individual to monitor young children's use of teething devices since young children often drop the teething devices, and the teething devices can be become lost or dirty. In addition, the teething device can sometimes become lodged in children's mouths or throats and present the danger of choking.
Accordingly, there is a need for a teething device which allows for the use of various teething objects or food while preventing the teething object or food from becoming lost or dirty when dropped by a young child, and prevent teething objects from becoming swallowed by the child.
In the past, various devices have been used for holding objects, some of which have been adapted for use with children. However, none of the devices provide an efficient, and simple teething holder which can hold a variety of teething devices, and which can be tethered to a chair or piece of child's clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,415 for an “adjustable and reusable handle for containers” describes a device for holding a container using an elongated handle. An adjustable band is mounted at one end, and has two sections which project from opposite ends. The two sections overlap to form a loop and each section is provided with a series of openings to allow a clip to receive the overlapping sections and lock the loop by use of the openings. This device is inapplicable to the art of child teething devices, and inappropriate for adaptation to teething holders at least for the reasons that the overlapping band and clip would be uncomfortable for a child's mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,693 for a “toy handle for oral device” provides a novelty device simulating a portion of a character or an object, such as a half of an animal. The device is provided to function as a toy handle for use with oral devices such as lollipops or teething rings, which are periodically placed in the mouth of the user and provided with a handle allowing periodic removal. The toy handle has a securing structure disposed within a receiving channel of the handle, specifically a screw hole, such that a typical handle of an oral device, such as a wrapped paper handle of a lollipop, may be inserted into, secured, and removed from the handle. This toy handle is limited in its ability to hold a variety of teething devices as it is designed to hold a wrapped paper handle that can be secured within a threaded channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,504 for a “universal tether apparatus” provides a device for releasably attaching juvenile articles such as pacifiers, teething devices, rattles and toys, to the clothing of an infant. The device includes releasably affixable attachment members capable of alternatively coupling to and releasing from, both male post-type and female loop-type elements of juvenile articles. A flexible strap attached to a post attachment end and a second attachment member facilitates universal securement of either end of the strap to an apparatus body, or to a juvenile article. A biased clip facilitates releasable securement of the apparatus body to the infant's clothing. The tether device is limited to use with teething rings and devices that already have an attachment point. In addition, the attachment end of the tether requires Velcro or snaps, which can be undone by a child.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,833 for a “strip-type wrench for removing rotatable closures or similar members” describes a wrench comprising a handle carrying a flexible strap that is arranged as a loop with both of its ends anchored to the handle. A loop-adjusting slide is mounted on the handle for movement relative to the anchoring point and has the doubled ends of the strap slideably passing through it outwardly from the anchoring point so that movement of the slide adjusts to the size of the loop. A ratchet is provided to hold the slide member in a loop tightening position and a spring returns it to its original position upon release of the ratchet. This device is inapplicable to the art of child teething devices, and inappropriate for adaptation to teething holders at least for the reasons that the loop adjusting slide is a complicated mechanism, and does not accommodate simple, replaceable, flexible and elastic loops which can require replacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,007 for a “handle assembly” describes an assembly having a handle and a band for supporting a container and an extension of the band which is slideably adjustable in the handle. The handle is provided with a forwardly extending formation for engaging a container in order to stabilize the connection between the band and container. This device is inapplicable to the art of child teething devices, and inappropriate for adaptation to teething holders at least for the reasons that the device does not accommodate simple, replaceable, flexible and elastic loops which can require replacement, and does not allow for progressive slideable adjustments of the loop to tighten around the object being held, and instead provides fixed anchor points.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,828,106 for a “tool” for lifting or turning objects such as cans, jars, covers, and the like. The tool has a flexible band mounted with its ends secured to a nut slidably movable within a tubular handle. The band extends outwardly from the handle to form a loop adjustable by means of the nut to fit various objects to be engaged. This device is inapplicable to the art of child teething devices, and inappropriate for adaptation to teething holders at least for the reasons the device does not accommodate simple, replaceable, flexible and elastic loops which can require replacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,404 for a “baby safety and teething biscuit” which are formed so that babies are unable to break off pieces of dangerously large size. The biscuit includes a disc of compressed rice paper having a number of holes. The ring is covered on both sides with biscuit or cookie dough and the layers are subjected to sufficient pressure to cause the material to project through the holes forming plugs to hold the dough in position. The teething biscuit does not provide for a means of holding a variety of teething items, but is directed to a particular teething item.